Prince Harry spends the night in -35°C Chamber

With that Autumn chill coming our way, most are trying to avoid the cold. Prince Harry, however, spent the entire day and night on Monday in a Cold Chamber.

Prince Harry, who celebrated his 29th birthday last Sunday, spent time in the cold chamber in preparation for his upcoming trek for charity, the Walking for the Wounded’s South Pole Allied Challenge. The chamber, meant to simulate the freezing temperatures Prince Harry will face during the Charity race, drops down to -35°C. Decked out in the actual gear and clothes he will be wearing during the trek through Antarctica, Prince Harry laid in the chamber for 20 hours during which time he focused on avoiding frost-nip and frost-bite. Finally emerging from the chamber, Prince Harry shared tea and biscuits with four fellow teammates who were also spending the day in the chamber in preparation for the race. Prince Harry commented that the worst part of the chamber was “Going in.”

The challenge will take place on November 15th, will be a grueling 4 week, 335km walk, ending at the South Pole. Prince Harry, supporting the Glenfiddich team, will be challenged not only by the harsh conditions of the natural environment–below freezing temperatures, blizzards, and 50 mph winds–but by fellow competitors, actors Alexander Skarsgard supporting the United States team and Dominic West supporting the Commonwealth team. The three teams face off in support of service personnel with mental and physical injuries obtained during service.

The Walking for the Wounded’s South Pole Allied Challenge is quite close to Prince Harry’s charitable heart and touches on his Military background–having been part of the British Army for over eight years and obtaining the rank of Captain. He has also been quite active in similar charities aimed at aiding those who have sustained mental as well as physical injuries in the line of duty; such as the tour he took in the United States earlier this year which brought attention to the rehabilitation of those injured during active service.

Prince Harry is expected to continue temperature simulations as well as training over the next month in preparation for the coldest challenge of the year.